<p>Exactly how rural is Cornell? What is Ithaca like--I have heard the school is detached from civilization. (I realize that even if Cornell was located in a dump it is a great school regardlessl)</p>
<p>a list of ithaca businesses: <a href="http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/pdf/NY127%5B/url%5D">http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/pdf/NY127</a> (see page 3)</p>
<p>It's one hour from syracuse and less than 5 hours from NYC (multiple busses daily)</p>
<p>Ithaca itself is at least an hour from everything else in the state - that said, Greyhound will take you to Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, NYC, Albany, Buffalo and everywhere else without hassle. So Ithaca is isolated. That said, it honestly doesn't matter. Ithaca's got a great down town, a beautiful surrounding natural area, the Pyramid mall and a WalMart :-P and Collegetown for all the essentials, and two colleges - plus Cornell is like a city unto itself. Really - you won't be bored in Ithaca. I'm from Binghamton - it's common practice for kids from here to make day trips to all the hip stuff in Ithaca. So Ithaca is isolated, but it really doesn't matter - plus in all honesty, you're not going to be leaving campus all that often anyway your first year.</p>
<p>I guess in other words, isolated, but not cut off. Between the regular busses, the airport, and highways...yeah, montana would be worse</p>
<p>It's like a little paradise island in the middle of nowhere. The school is large and busy enough, and Collegetown/Ithaca is interesting and populated enough, that you won't want to leave.</p>
<p>There's plenty of entertainment if you don't get a "it's not a city, there's nothing to do" mentality. Ithaca is considered a city, actually.</p>
<p>There's always big name acts coming to Cornell. Snoop Dogg, The Game, and Jon Stewart quickly come to mind as having visited in the past year, and there are many others. There are literally hundreds of clubs.</p>
<p>Check this out if you're "worried" about student life :):
<a href="http://www.cornell.edu/studentlife/%5B/url%5D">http://www.cornell.edu/studentlife/</a></p>
<p>and maynard furgeson...</p>
<p>LilacGirl, what school did you go to in Binghamton?</p>